atoll research bulletin no. 392 the flora of - Smithsonian Institution ...

mm long, many, whitish or buff, smooth, flat, in a central cavity with fleshy placentas.
Food plant in Chinese gardens at Location. Fruit flesh eaten raw. 5, 6.
Cucumis melo L. var. conomon Makino
ts'it kwa (C)
"Oriental pickling melon "
Pre-World War I1 introduction. China. Rare. Softly hairy, branching, trailing,
occasionally climbing, herbaceous, annual vine, with ridged stems, tender unbranched
tendrils, and an extensive and superficial root system; leaves, 7 to 13 cm across, simple,
rounded to heart- or kidney-shaped; flowers, about 2.5 cm across, generally andro-
monoecious (with hermaphroditic and male flowers on the same plant), yellow; male
flowers, often in groups, each on a slender pedicels; hermaphroditic (and female)
flowers, solitary, with shorter and thicker pedicel; fruit, 20 to 30 cm long and 6 to 8 cm
in diameter, oblong, cylindrical, cucumber-like, slightly hollow; rind, thin, pale whitish-
green to yellowish-green, longitudinally lined, smooth or slightly pubescent; pulp, soft,
white to greenish-white, almost tasteless; seeds, 5 to 10 mm long, many, whitish or buff,
smooth, flat, in a central cavity with fleshy placentas. Trailing or climbing food plant in
Chinese gardens at Location and Topside. Fruit cooked as a vegetable, often in soups. 5,
6.
Cucumis sativus L. "cucumber"
te kukamba (K); kukampa (T); tseng kwa, wong kwa (C)
Pre-World War I1 introduction. N. India. Rare. Scabrid, climbing or trailing,
herbaceous, annual vine, climbing from 1 to 5 m, with strongly 4-angled stems, un-
branched tendrils and an extensive and superficial root system; leaves, 8 to 20 cm long,
hispid or rough, base cordate, apex acuminate, scarcely angled, unlobed or shallowly 3-
to 5-lobed with acute sinuses, dentate, palmately 5- to 7-nerved; petioles, 5 to 18 cm
long; flowers, 2 to 4 cm long, monoecious, yellow, bell-shaped, deeply 5-partite, hairy,
wrinkled; calyx, 5 to 10 mm long, with 5 narrow lobes; male flowers, predominant,
borne in axillary clusters on slender pedicels; female flowers, solitary or few, axillary,
on stout peduncles; fruit, 15 to 25 cm long, pendulous, slenderly oblong or cylindric,
often slightly curved, dark to light-green skinned, glabrous or covered with tiny bristly
tubercles or warts (echinate), particularly when young; flesh, pale whitish-green; seeds, 8
to 10 mm long and 3 to 5 cm wide, many, whitish, oblong, flat, margin defined only at
the apex. Food plant in houseyard gardens. Fruit eaten raw, and occasionally cooked. 5,
6, 7.